Compound for extinguishing fires.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD M. DAVIDSON, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR T0 PYRENE MANUFACTURING 00., A CORPORATI OF DELAWARE.

COMPOUND FOR EXTINGUISI-IING FIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

Serial No. 553,570.

No Drawing. Application filed April 5, 1910.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. DAVIDSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compounds for Extinguishing Fires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in compounds for extinguishing fires of Various natures, including electric arc, calcium carbid, gasolene, cotton, and other refractory fires.

The object of the invention is to thoroughly extinguish fires, both flaming and smoldering, of however refractory nature, by establishing over the burning material or seat of combustion a heavy, cohering, lingering blanket of dry, combustion-arresting gas, and at the same time when desired to reduce electrical conductivity by the pres ence in the liquid compound of electrically non-conducting ingredients, which increase the resistance of the liquid and are thrown down as a resistance deposit on the burned material when the compound is volatilized by heat.

To this and other ends which will become apparent, the invention consists in the compound hereinafter described in the specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The process of extinguishing fires as herein described, is claimed in my copending application 583,997, filed Sept. 27, 1910, the same being a division of the present application.

The improved compound, in its preferred form, has for its main ingredient a substance like carbon tetrachlorid, which volatilizers at temperatures encountered in fires to be extinguished, producing large volumes of heavy, penetrating gas, in this instance principally chlorin. This carbon tetrachlorid contains carbon dioxid gas in solution, sufficient carbon dioxid being employed to form a saturated solution at or very slightly above atmospheric pressure. The carbon tetrachlorid may also contain in solution a small amount of ammonia as. The liquid compound also contains w en an non w liquid and, in use, are thrown down on the burned material as a thick, gummy, electrically non-conducting deposit. This compound may be formed by taking a quantity of carbon tetrachlorid and adding 1, 5% by volume of oil of amber and the same quantity of nitrobenzol, then passing 15% by volume of anhydrous ammonia gas into the solution under pressure, agitating the solu tion, passing approximately 22% by vol ume of anhydrous, carbon dioxid into the solution under pressure and again agitating a solution, causing a complete chemical reaction in which the original ingredients'are entirely changed.

In the use of this invention in extinguishing electrical fires, the liquid compound, substantially devoid of water and, therefore, electrically non-conducting for this reason, in addition to having its resistance increased by such ingredients as oil of amber and oil of mirbane, is thrown upon the smolder, blaze, or electric arc to be extinguished, and thereby is liberated a thick, heavy, penetrating, cohering, lingering blanket of dry gas, which covers closely and extinguishes the fire or are. At the same time the electrically non-conducting ingredients are thrown down upon the burned material rendering it electrically non-conducting. The comparatively heavy gaseous mantle does not mingle readily with the products of combustion, to be carried off promptly thereby, but holds together inadense cloud for a period of appreciable and efitective length, enveloping the seat ofcombustion, shutting off access of air, and sinking into, the interstices of the burned material, if any interstices be presented. The property of the gaseous blanket whereby it preserves its integrity, together with its activity in penetrating the burning material enable the extinguishing liquid both to effectually smother a blaze and to extinguish thoroughly any subsequent smolder. When applied to burning liquids, the compound does not scatter these liquids, still burning, without extinguishing them, but at once vaporizes, producing the enveloping and smothering blanket alluded to.

. An especially advantageous feature of the invention is found in the fact that hereinbefore demribed when blanket composed of non-poisonous elements, thus rendering the compound commercially practical and capable of being freely used without danger of asphyxiation of the operator.

A further feature of this invention is found in the homogeneous character of the gas blanket produced by the vaporization of the compound upon a fire. This feature, in connection with the heavy, lingering and cohering characteristics heretofore set out, not only increase the efficiency of the compound in use upon any ordinary fires but render it possible to extinguish extremely hot and refractory fires in which the ordinary fire extinguishing compounds are useless. The ordinary compounds heretofore known are not capable of producing such a gas blanket and, in many cases, will them selves burn when subjected to a heat of more than 550, while this compound is inflammable.

Applicant does not wish to be understood as limiting his invention to the specific ingredients herein set out as illustrative of a preferred embodiment of his invention, as it may be possible to substitute other ingredients or to vary the compound as defined in the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A fire extinguishing compound consisting of a liquid which, when heated by being applied to the seat of combustion, in part volatilizes to produce a lingering blanket of dry, combustion-arresting gas, and in part is thrown down as an electrically non-conducting deposit.

2. A fire extinguishing compound comprising carbon tetrachlorid and a constituent which is thrown down when the compound is heated by being applied to a fire as an electrically non-conducting deposit.

3. A fire extinguishing compound comprising carbon tetrachlorid, carbon dioxid, nitrobenzol and oil of amber.

4;. A fire extinguishing liquid comprising carbon tetrachlorid, carbon dioxid gas, and

a constituent capable of being thrown down upon being heated, as an electrically nonconducting deposit.

5. A fire extinguishing liquid comprising carbon tetrachlorid, carbon dioxid gas, ammonia gas, and a constituent capable of being thrown down upon being heated, as an electrically non-conducting deposit.

6. A fire extinguishing compound, com prising a liquid substantially devoid of water adapted and capable of being volatilized. by the heat of the fire and producing a heavy lingering cohering and homogeneous blanket of dry combustion-arresting gas.

7. A fire extinguishing compound, comprising a liquid substantially devoid of water adapted and capable of being volatilized by the heat of the fire and producing a lingering penetrating cohering and homogeneous blanket of dry combustion-arresting gas.

8. A fire extinguishing compound, comprising a liquid substantially devoid of water adapted and capable of being volatilized by the heat of the fire and producing a lingering cohering blanket of dry combustion-arresting gas and an electrically nonconducting deposit.

9. A fire extinguishing compound, com prising an electrically non-conducting liquid adapted and capable of being volatilized by the heat of the fire and producing a lingering cohering blanket of dry combustionarresting gas and an electrically non-conducting deposit.

10. A fire extinguishing compound comprising a liquid substantially devoid of water adapted and capable of being volatilized by the heat of the fire to produce a heavy non-poisonous, cohering and homogeneous blanket of combustion-arresting, non-inflammable gas.

Signed in the city, county and State of New York, this 17th day of March, 1910.

EDWARD M. DAVIDSON.

Witnesses G. F. HOVER, P. L. VVILLNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

